Tuesday, November 30, 2010

First let me start with an apology! Why? Because I am sorry I didn't know about this SOONER to tell you guys! BUT it is okay, you still have until the end of day to place your orders (Promo ends tonight at midnight). Get ready... Deborah Lippmann is having a 20% off promotion on her website.

This is huge! Her nail polishes are my favorite hands down. Why you ask?

They are always so creative and the quality is superb. Naturally, I just placed a large order.Let me share what my favorites are and what I have ordered. I have been wanting these for quite sometime, I just never got around to it. Who knows why. But whats a better reason than 20% off? NADA!

The first one I threw into my cart, if you know me, is an obvious one. The highly touted "Happy Birthday". It is SO fun and I have never seen a dupe....not even close. Deborah describes it as a party in a bottle, I am so down for that!

Another one, I have been eye balling for a while... Ruby Slippers. I love dark red and this is all sorts of perfect. Its a dark red black base with red glitter and red hexagonal larger glitter parts. Perfect for holiday season! (Temptalia.com has a great swatch of this here)

Next we have "Across the Universe". To me, this looks like a mermaids tail smushed into a bottle. Yes please! I love the name and I love the color.

Then we have a new one that I never saw before, Boom Boom Pow. The reason I got this, is because I was playing at Stephanie's apartment last night and she had the Sephora Gold Top Coat. I put it on and I couldn't stop looking at my gold hexogonal glitter on my nails. this is an amped up better version!

Lastly, Waking up in Vegas, this is the boring of the group, but it stood out to me, its a creamy grey Taupe.

Will you be picking up any? If so, let me know!I cant wait to swatch them all for you!x

Monday, November 29, 2010

I hope everyone had a fabulous thanksgiving filled with health and joy!

I wanted to drop a note and take a moment to touch on Cyber Monday. It is estimated that today will be the first time that online sales hits 1 billion dollars! That's crazy!

The web is full of fabulous deals today. I for one, have actually not been in the shopping mood latley. I dont kow what it is! Maybe I am actually being mature and thinking about saving money? Probably not!

Anyway, the cyber monday deals that I am most interested in right now are:

All Saints. They are having a 25% off everything sale in store and online.

Net-A-Porter. 50% off sale on select items.

Tobi.com. 30% off everything with the code THANKS30

La Dama, 25% off everything with the code TOFUTURKEY

I am so disappointed that J.Crew didn't do something better than boring old 25% off sweaters! Who cares....

What are you guys excited about?Comment me below with what you are getting on this Cyber-riffic Monday!x

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

This is THE gift for the cosmetic aficionado in your life."New & Extremely Limited. NARS Founder and Creative Director François Nars has interpreted the charisma and drama that is kabuki theatre for today’s elegant, modern woman.

Debuting this holiday season after years of development is the NARS Bento Box Set – a limited edition set of two Kabuki cups that were hand-poured with a new exclusive-to-NARS lipstick formula in highly pigmented shades. Housed in a handmade bento box, the set includes a Kabuki lip brush, designed for precise application by dipping the brush into the cup and blending until desired coverage is achieved.

NARS captures the majesty of the kabuki lip – the ideal of feminine beauty – with Maiko and Sakura, unique lip colors in this exquisite keepsake. " Nars.com

Will you be picking this up for $125?I will pass for that price tag but this is a lovely gift!x

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

I know, I have been a very bad blogger. Ah well, such is life. It was my birthday on Saturday and then I came down with a wicked flu. Not fun at all.

Anyway, I thougt I would share my secrets of how to look healthy when you are sick. I think I have perfected this art at this point as I seem to always be sick with some sort of cold or flu now. Which off of the topic, but really baffles me. I eat healthy, I exercise, I treat my body well and I take vitamins. I am actually going to try some alternative eastern types of medicine. If anyone has good advice let me know!

Anyyyywayyy, back to the point of this post, how to get your beauty routine on point when you do not look so hot.

#1. First of all, drink TONS of water to keep you hydrated. I know, I for one, tend to get very dried out from being sick. My skin and hair will look dry. I combat this with tons of water and Creme de La Mer moisturizer.

#2. Already mentioned above, but prime your face with a good moisturizer. Like I said, I get dry and the last thing you want to look is flaky and dry. Its bad enough you feel crappy, you don't have to look it too!

#3. Next I use a moisturizing foundation for the above reasons. My go to favorite is Chanel Vitalumiere. This is my old faithful, I have been using this for 8 years now. I cant even believe it. I really do not wear foundation anymore, but when I'm sick my nose is red and i look a bit uneven, therefore foundation it is!

#4. Vitalumiere is extremely moisturizing so it will need to be set with a powder. I like to use MAC's Refined MSF (From the sugarsweet collection). It is a light peach with a very subtle opalescence to it. I actually use this all over my face to give a glow. I love this powder, it sets my makeup without being powdery. I have a back up of this that I picked up at the CCO! Score!!

#5 Concealer. Lord knows I need concealer when I am sick. I get dark circles like no ones business, my favorite concealer is Make Up Forever's palette concealer. It has a peach one to counteract blueness. Also another trick is to take white eyeliner (I uses NYX jumbo pencil in Milk) and dot it on JUST the darkest parts and then blend your concealer over it. It works like magic. I don't know why, but it does!

#6. Blush!!! You need blush. I use a nude, dusty pink. My personal favorite right now is NARS Douceur. Its an amazing color. Check this color out!

#7. On my eyes, I do not want to look like I am wearing a lot of makeup but I want to look fresh and alive (opposite of how you look when you have the flu). I used specifically NARS Nepal eyeshadow (a peachy rose champagne) on the lid to warm up my eyes. Then I use NARS Blondie (a warm taupe- HIGHLY pigmented). I tend to go for warm tones when I am sick because cool tones can wash you out. Also, a good trick is not to use black when you are sick, it just looks too harsh! I line my lower lash line with Urban Decay Baked 24/7 eye pencil, a warm soft gold to give some life. However, I still use a black mascara to top it off! Do not forget to curl your lashes, this helps you look wide eyed (Again, opposite of what I really am with the Flu).

#8. Lip Balm, I am a HUGE fan of Nivea Lipbalms. You need to use that when you are sick because we all know, lips get dry from colds.

#9. Lipstick to give your face some color, I like to go with something very subtle but definitely not nude. Nude will be way harsh id you are sick. I went with a light peach, NARS Barbarella.

ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDD thats it!!Hope this helps some of you during evil flu season!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

It is officially fall here, well basically winter. It always feels like we completely skip fall and move straight to winter in New York City. Ah well... anyway, I have found my new favorite nail polish color. I always am on the hunt for the perfect deep red with the perfect about of shimmer.

Alex from Illamasqua recently sent me a nail polish to check out, Scarab from the new Art of Darkness collection.

I am OBSESSED! Ever since I got it (about a month ago) I have been wearing it on my nails and toes. It is perfect for the colder months. I would describe it has a deep cranberry with a metallic finish. I am very picky about nail polishes, I like a shimmer but I want the shimmer to read metallic and not just shimmer and Illamasqua has achieved this. This is actually really hard to find in a nail polish. This is THE perfect holiday color.

The formula is great, creamy and perfectly thick without being goopy. I hate very thin nail polish. You only need 1 coat but I like to use 2 coats for full opacity.

$14 is a bit pricey for nail polish, but not as expensive as Chanel, Mac I believe is $11 but this blows MAC's quality out of the water. If you want to splurge on an amazing deep red, this is your best best!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Soooo... I am not all that interested in the Lanvin for H&M that has the whole interwebs a buzzin'.

However, I got wind of something that IS exciting.

There. will. be. lipsticks!

This is the first time that Lanvin has ever put their name on a make up item and @ 9.95 a pop I would love to snatch up all the colors! There will be 4 shades: Red, Bordeaux, Old Rose and Hot Pink. Plus, HOW cute is the packaging?

Will you wait on line and endure the craziness on Nov 20th (MY BIRTHDAY)?x

calms and soothes irritated skin immediately and over time and relieves sensitive skin while diminishing the appearance of redness, irritation and blotchiness. over time, the gentle, soothing formula helps reduce the appearance of broken capillaries and helps even out skin tone. it contains algae extracts that visibly reduce redness and blotchiness on the skin, both immediately and over time. kukui nut oil provides moisturization and emollient, while kola seed extract acts as an anti-irritant to help soothe irritated skin. it contains wheat germ and barley extracts that help strengthen the skin's natural lipid barrier over time. it moisturizes and softens the skin immediately and over time and improves skin tone over time. its derm- and ophth-tested, non-acnegenic and suitable for all skint types, including sensitive skin.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

I wanted to quickly post this amazing deal from Sephora. They are running a promo for $10 for a NARS eyeshadow duo which would normally run you about $32 plus tax. I would jump on this boat and pick both colors up! Thats only $20 for two shadows that would normally be $64.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Hi Ladies (and by Ladies I mean Ladies. This post is directed you guys!)

This is a semi- odd topic but I wanted to share. I just ordered myself and my younger twin sisters a present.

An odd present albeit. I ordered us Pepper spray. I read an article about how it saved all these women's lives and I decided my sisters MUST have them. My sisters are in college and I live in new york city. You can never be too protected and safe. One of my sisters is going abroad for 5 months as well.

I found a great website that sells swarovski encrusted pepper sprays. How amazing? Safe and cute!

I picked the gold tone with gold crystals for my sisters and I. I love it, it is really so cute. Carry your pepper spray and be proud! Who knows when it could save your life...right?

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

I thought now would be a great time to make this post. You may have noticed I have been cleaning out and selling a lot of my makeup and a lot of you have asked me why. I will tell you why and how it all came about.

I have recently started reading "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin. I am only a quarter of the way into it but am SO inspired (watch this quick segment about why she wrote this book HERE ). Inspired to organize and attempt to downsize and live a bit more "simply". I will go more into this later but I decided to start with my clothes and makeup.

I first started with clothing and shoes, I am the first to admit I have a lot of clothes and a lot of shoes. I do not REALLY need all of it (I guess need is a subjective term haha). I first cleaned out 4 bags of clothing and 2 of shoes to be donated to charity. I love donating to charities because you are helping out people and cleaning out and organizing your own space. It makes me feel food to know I am helping out others. A lot of people were fortunate to be born into the families they were and to be able to live as comfortably as they do. I think it is important to give back in anyway you can. Donating clothing and shoes is the least you can do and VERY easy. I urge everyone to try to donate something, even if it is only one piece. There is someone out there that can use it! The two charities I use are the Salvation Army (they have drop offs all over) and VVA (you can schedule a pick up of bags of clothing here http://www.pickupplease.org/vva/veterans-donation.aspx?gclid=CMbU2-XBg6UCFU465QodUleQOw).

After the clothing and shoes were done I moved on to more treacherous territory....makeup! Ah! The amount of makeup I had was actually scaring me. I felt like I should be on an episode of hoarders. Really there is no need for that much, will I still buy makeup? Of course! But, what it has helped me do is realize I don't need so much, I should be pickier and helps me find things easier (which means getting ready in the morning quicker!!). The funny thing is, I do not even wear a lot of makeup daily! Unfortunately, I couldn't donate the makeup, all makeup donations have to be unused and new for sanitary reasons, (obviously), so to make a long story short that is what the reason was for all the blog sales.

I highly highly recommend the Happiness Project to everyone. I am going to review it later on my blog and post some helpful tips in case you are interested in starting to organize also.

Two great tips I will leave you with today are:

- the one-minute rule (learn about it here): If you can do it in one minute, just do it right away. Do not leave it for later. I am so guilty of coming home from work and throwing things around. It would take me one minute to hang up my coat, but I dont. I throw it down and pile other stuff on top. The one-minute rule really helps and I love it! DO not procrastinate. Procrastination is the root of all evil, well not at all but thats funny to say!

- tidy before bed: Every night, take 5 minutes to tidy up. You don't realize but this sort of tidy-ing up really helps to combat the clutter and mess.

Beauty of The Day: About Me

Why Belle Du Jour? It means quite literally, Beauty Of The Day and this is my corner of the universe where I talk about all things beautiful, be it cosmetics, fashion, travel, jewelry and lifestyle.
A twenty-something year old in the Fashion, Beauty and PR industry living, breathing and obsessing over all things beautiful in Manhattan, New York.